Bad Day

June 6, 2007

Pro: “Bad Day” is a catchy little rock and roll song that is basically a dry run for “It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” one of the band’s most enduring and well-loved hits. If they had completed in 1986, it would have been a worthy addition to Lifes Rich Pageant, though certainly not one of the best tracks on that album.

Con: It was shelved for well over a decade and reworked as a single in support of In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003, a rather dreadful compilation that somehow drops the ball on the no-brainer task of putting together a hits record drawing on the band’s most commercially successful period. The inclusion of “Bad Day” (as well as the early ’80s rarity “All The Right Friends”) directly contradicts the title of the collection, and its presence on the record takes up space for songs that ought to be on an R.E.M. greatest hits record — “Pop Song 89,” “Drive,” “Bang and Blame,” and “Shiny Happy People,” which is one of the band’s most iconic and highest charting singles.

The problem of In Time is the problem of far too many “hits” records to come out in recent years — it allows the artist to omit songs that embarrass them, and it is designed to draw in hardcore fans with unreleased material rather than simply offer the most popular songs in one package for casual listeners. A good hits album should be a primer for new fans, a trophy cabinet showing off the artist’s deep catalog of quality singles, and something that works well in a jukebox at a bar. In Time is a miserable failure, but Eponymous and And I Feel Fine get it exactly right. (I mean, think about it — “All The Right Friends” and “Bad Day” aren’t good enough to fit in on either of those collections, so why the hell should they be anachronisms on the later compilation?)

Pro: The “broadcast me a joyful noise…” lead-up to the chorus is a thrill every time, and “the auctioneer is such a creep” line is a fun nod to longtime fans.

Con: There’s something kinda sad and depressing about the fact that the band chose to finish up this song out of everything lying around in their back catalog. It seems like they were totally desperate for a hit, and decided “hey, well, we have this song that’s kinda like “It’s The End Of The World…” and that’s about it. It’s one part cheap nostalgia, and two parts them working out a way to pander to old school fans while also saying “hey, this is an old song, we don’t write tunes like this anymore.” It’s too wishy washy.

Pro: Even if it’s technically an old song, it’s good to hear Mike Mills offering so much in terms of backing vocals. I can’t understand why he’s backed out of that role in recent years when vocal harmony is so central to the appeal of the band.

“Bad Day” is just such a freaking fun song. Like many of you (probably), “It’s the End of the World” is so embedded in my brain as to be instinct now; so for a while there, “Bad Day” was my most-played song because it had the joyous release of ITEOTW without the stale familiarity.

And ditto to the Mike Mille harmony love. Please oh PLEASE let it come back. It’s such a part of the R.E.M. sound that I can’t fathom its recent abandonment.

There is a lyrical difference between the two versions. The LRP outake seems to be an oblique commentary on being famous (“please don’t take my picture”). The In Time version is a more direct criticism of media exploitation of the vulnerable (as outlined, wittily but not subtly, by the video). The line in the latter becomes “Please don’t take a picture.”

The difference is sympathy versus empathy, and I prefer the latter. So the new “Bad Day” works for me. Yeah, it’s an old song pulled out of mothballs, but it sounds to me like the band rethought the song, and then reimagined it (especially Stipe’s lyrics), something they didn’t do for the new “All The Right Friends.”

As for In Time – I liked it enough. Maybe just because I really liked the one new song, “Animal,” a heck of a lot. The second disc on the deluxe edition was a disappointment, though. That version *was* aimed at the hardcore fan, and the “rarities” they included weren’t all that exciting (the Bill Borroughs “Star Me Kitten” excepted). I wanted some of the AFTP b-sides, and there weren’t any.

For me, Bad Day is one of REM`s best attempts at an upbeat number in recent years, even if it is pulled from the back catalogue. They opened Hyde Park in London with this in 05 and it worked very well… shame the sound system was so shoddy on the day that the noise blew about in the wind and it took me til the second verse to realise they were even onstage.

More Mills harmonies, and at least 1 or 2 boppy ones like this on the new record please.

“Bad Day” is great not only because of the writing (melody and lyrics), it is great because it is still relevant ten years on. The line “the lights went out/the oil ran dry…” were perfect in 2003 because of the war (for oil) in Iraq and the East Coast black out at the time. In some of their songs, they seem to either predict the future or reflect the times which, sadly, never change.

Regarding In Time: I could not agree with Matthew more about how “Drive” and “Bang and Blame” are missed on this compilation. How would “Get Up,” “Radio Song,” “Bittersweet Me” and “Strange Currencies” figure in?

the best part of In Time is The Great Beyond (where I first discovered it) and the story in PB’s notes about how Mr.Slinky came up with the vocal for Man On The Moon, makes one wonder what Michael was up to exactly when he took the little hiatus from the studio……..love Bad Day , the lyrics and everything about it , just an excellent pop/rock piece; once again , Thanx for the site , very intriguing and fun to try and guess what the next song will be.

Ignis hit it on the head. Most political songs are like time capsules that refer to a specific time and place. Bad Day is just as relevent now- if not more relevent- than when it was first written. I wish it weren’t.

I’m curious about others’ interpretations of the lines “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, sure all men are created equal”…It reminds me of this game my dad used to play with me when I was a kid. He’d fold his hands in this weird contorted way, then extend his 2 index fingers to form a point, and he’d say “here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open it up and see all the people” (which were his other 8 fingers). It was a bit of an illusion, and so I have to wonder if the lyrics are in reference to that game…as in the notion that all men are created equal is just an illusion. Anyone?

For all it’s disappointments, I’m still pleased with the deluxe edition of In Time. For me, the demo version of The Lifting was worth the extra 10 bucks all by itself.

I had heard that In Time was almost a retaliation for Eponymous, which was released with no input from the band. Interestingly, In Time contains only 1 track (Losing My Religion) from Out of Time, and Losing My Religion was also the only track from Out of Time they played during the Around the Sun tour. They did play Bad Day, which is a song I really enjoy and was not aware of before In Time. Great work on the site, Matt.

Whenever Michael sings that line about “Sure, all men are created equal/Heres the church, heres the steeple” I imagine he is revealing his middle finger as in a comment about conservative Christianity. Just my thought. It is my nervy (and all too telling) take on a childhood game.

James said: “The In Time version is a more direct criticism of media exploitation of the vulnerable.”

That’s kind of interesting. Not sure I totally understand what you’re talking about though.

My interpretation of “It’s been a bad day/Please don’t take a picture” is that it’s sort of a hopeful refrain– like “this is just a bad period of time (for America/the world/whatever), so don’t assume that it’ll stay this way.”

I’m not very familiar with the old LRP version, but this one seems like a pretty direct swipe at the government.

Anybody got an explanation for “St. Vitus subcommittee prize investigation dance”? A quick wiki shows St. Vitus as the patron saint of dancing?

I’ve always thought that of the ‘new’/unfamiliar material on In Time, Bad Day was the most valid inclusion – if you’re going to revisit and reinvent a ‘lost’ song then surely a retrospective collection is the place to do it. Didn’t Stipe say somewhere that he was inspired by U2 rerecording Sweetest Thing, an old b-side for their best of album? Including Animal and All The Right Friends at the expense of say, Drive and Bang and Blame is harder to justify (although personally I didn’t mind the fact that they left off Shiny Happy People – In Time was a Best Of rather than a Greatest Hits compilation, and if the band don’t regard it as one of their best songs, then fair enough). Putting 2 or 3 new songs onto a compliation album is what every major act does these days – it’s just a shame that the 21st Century REM aren’t prepared to do things their way, and screw what everyone else does…

Anyway, as for Bad Day itself I think it’s their best rock song of recent times, maybe no surprise as it’s an old song. I also agree that changing ‘please don’t take my picture’ to ‘please don’t take a picture’ was a masterstroke – changing one little word means the song neatly avoids sounding like yet another millionaire rock star whinge about the pressures of fame and gives the lyric a whole new dimension: I always read the new line as being a comment on the media’s coverage of 9/11.

To end on a lighter note, a particuarly grumpy and misanthropic friend of mine once told me she’d like to have Bad Day as the first dance at her wedding, if she ever got married…!

The absence of “Shiny Happy People” is really the thing that annoys me since it’s one of their biggest hits ever and it’s not there entirely because they feel like it’s too dorky or whatever. “Best Of,” “Greatest Hits” — same difference! The only reason to make these compilations is to draw in casual fans.

By the way, “Losing My Religion” is not the only song from Out Of Time played on the Around The Sun tour — “Country Feedback” and “Me In Honey” were both played very often, the latter only on the non-American legs.

I’m pretty sure the line “the lights went out, the oil ran dry” wasn’t in the original version. Either way, this is a great song – so angry and bitter at the world today, but it’s great to dance to! Great words for a true fan and great music for a hit song. Even if they did only re-do it for a hit (which it wasn’t anyway here) it’s a great song and deserves to see the light of day. Great live song, too.
I agree that “Drive” and “Bang and Blame” should’ve been on In Time instead of Animal and All The Right Friends. Animal is a great song, not sure it would’ve fit in with ATS though, but needs to be somewhere where it can be noticed and appreciated. The newer version of all the right friends wasn’t that great anyway.

I’m not letting my brain access the Friends theme song, which requires a ton of concentration since there’s no music on. You guys have already made me associate “Stand” with “La Bamba” — talk about a bad day!

I have a really, really obtuse explanation for the harmonica solo. The harmonica is inextricably tied up with Americana. I construe Stipe playing it so badly as being a sonic metaphor for how the Bush administration has abused its power and lead the country astray. It makes sense in context with the “I saw the light, it can’t be right” couplet in the bridge.

I enjoy both versions of the song, incidentally. I think the “St. Vitus subcommittee prize” line is an abstract denouncement of modern politicians’ knack for dancing around the issues to get their way.

It does border too closely on the preachy, with that I do agree. I am, however, embarrassed to admit this song has brought me to the verge of tears on a couple occasions. I have no idea why. Truth? Nostalgia? Damned if I know. But there’s some mysterious power in it for me.

I’ve been living under a rock… and had avoided this compilation.. until recently I hadn’t heard Bad Day, but once I did, the lead-up that Matthew mentions in the “broadcast me a joyful noise…” line was stuck in my head for days.

I’m not overly familiar with the lyrics so I can’t comment on the content or meaning of the song, but as far as the melody goes, it hearkens to what REM does best for me: rocking, upbeat songs that suck me in and make me want to sing along on repeat. This is just a happy, dizzying rush of a song, and I really miss that about recent REM.

Agree with you about In Time, Matthew. It needs Shiny Happy and Country Feedback. R.E.M. should be proud of making Sesame Street – at the time the song stood out amongst the earnest (male) prtention early 90s alt rock. New / rehashed songs belong on the bonus disc. The video of Bad Day has absolutely no soul / no artistic heart by the way. Not necessarily a bad thing, but combined with the end of the world rip off vibe (I didn’t know the forementioned history) it left me a bit sour. Oh Bill, tell them to stop!

What do you like about “I feel fine”? Just that every song is solid? I got it without the bonus disc by accident, a big mistake.

I love the 1986 version – or at least the copy of it I have. Drumstick intro, a cough, then a rapid-fire guitar burst. Much more urgent that the later version, which I think is still good too. There’s even some End of the World lyrics in there – “step down, watch your heel, crush” is one that I could pick up in the mumbling.

But the reason I really love the early version is because it reminds me just how good a band REM is (were?). Even their half-finished songs are still great at times, like that LMR outtake “Sugar Cane” or early bootlegs of Fall On Me where they didn’t even have all the words worked out but were still confident enough to play it live.

The harmonica solo is intentionally bad. I thought that was obvious. I never made the connection as theorized by Justin…it may be a bit of a stretch, but I like it. I’ve always perceived it as just taking the edge off an otherwise serious and angry rant, and turning it into something fun. Was anyone here lucky enough to grab one of the harmonicas that Michael tossed into the crowd after each solo?

I also have never made the Bad Day-Friends connection, so thanks for planting that seed in my head. :) But it does remind me of a somewhat humorous story, if I may briefly bore all of you: about 8-10 years ago I was driving and listening to REM, and my older brother (who I have absolutely NOTHING in common with) was in the passenger seat. He asked, “who’s this?” and I told him it was REM. He nodded and a minute later asked, “Aren’t they the ones who sing the Friends theme song?”

I wish REM would use Mike’s voice more often. I heard him sing solo at St. Ann’s in Brooklyn years ago and he was easily the most powerful and moving vocalist there.I was almost angry about it! I was with a group of fans and our jaws dropped to the ground!

I never heard “Bad Day” till “In Time,” though I’d wanted to hear it ever since I read about it in It Crawled From the South. I’d love to hear the original version someday, but I really enjoy the exuberance of even the 2003 release.

Here’s one thought: At work (editing for a psychiatric journal), I’ve read about a condition called “St. Vitus’ Dance” (also Sydenham’s Chorea), which one resource defines as “an acute disturbance of the central nervous system characterized by involuntary muscular movements of the face and extremities.”

You can get the old version of “Bad Day” on the bonus disc for And I Feel Fine. It may be tricky to find that in shops now, but you can definitely buy it on iTunes.

Answering another question: I just think And I Feel Fine does its job properly. It’s pretty much every major song from the IRS era, and no stupid “bonus” songs to get in the way. I think Eponymous is pretty tight and great, but And I Feel Fine trumps it by skipping alternate versions and including songs like “Feeling Gravity’s Pull,” “Life and How To Live It,” “Pretty Persuasion,” “Begin the Begin,” and “Perfect Circle.”

Every time I’ve seen this song performed live, when Michael says “Bad Day”, he has his fist retracted close to his body, then thrusts his arm outward, spreading his fingers. Now I find myself involuntarily doing it every time I sing along. Anyone else do this?

I also can’t sing along to Man On the Moon w/o changing Charles Darwin’s “gall” to “balls”, and following “nothing is cool” with “coo-WAAAHL”, both thanks to live performances.

Please, someone else tell me they do this too, and that I’m not a total geek.

I’ve always associated “I saw the light /it can’t be right ” with the central premise of traditional Christianity (no matter what sort of spin someone may try to put on it)..that here is this light, this God of all-consuming ,everlasting ,incomprehensible, and incredible love ..but if you get it wrong (in what essentailly amounts to an honest mistake )you are sentenced to burn in hell for all eternity…It’s like , “Wow, I see this light but this CAN’T POSSIBLY be right..!!”, you know ??..Yeah , so true about the Friends thing, just the guitare riff really..

The thing that impressed me the most when I first heard that song is that Bill Rieflin’s drumming is very “Berry-esque”-it’s like he studied all the “old” songs in order to pass an exam. And that’s impressive, regarding the fact that Berry isn’t widely known as a drumstick hero. That also proves (to me, at least) that REM haven’t yet recovered from the loss; old stuff must be played “this” way, new stuff…well, sometimes even they don’t know.

I got the original version of this song on a low-quality boot back when I was 15/16. I loved the song back then and was excited when I saw they reworked it for In Time. That said, I’m still partial to the original. We all know the band can be quite political at times and as someone mentioned above, the new version does feel a bit preachy at times. On the original they walk the fine line of expressing their viewpoint while also having fun; they pretty much perfected it there. As for the harmonica solo, I’m a fan of it as you know JMS is not being serious with it and just wants to have fun by playing the harmonica…poorly.

Yeah, the original, demo, version trumps all. I actually thought the bootleg demo was going to be the version on the IRS years, so it was quite an insightful revelation that there was a (hey, interesting) FINISHED version in the vaults all along.

Poor Paris is singing this song today, nah, she’s probably a hip-hopper…REM did this on the Today show back in I guess like fall of ’03–on the outside stage there — and after the song Stipe was commenting to Katie Couric about how it was a “bad day” for some Republican honchos, forget who exactly , the particular scandal of the day

“bad day” is a really mediocre version of the song it used to be. i first heard it as “p.s.a.” on a pretty old bootleg – the first line was “a public service announcement followed me home the other day,” so that name could have just been applied by the people that put out the record. it had the “it’s been a bad day, please don’t take my picture” line, but a lot of the other lines were different.

it’s probably partly because it was of an era of that band that i really loved, but i completely prefer that crappy old recording and version to this one.

I’ve got a few old bootlegs of this song, and they’re all called “PSA” aswell. And I agree, I definately prefer the old live version full of raw emotion over the newer “tidier” version. Although I do love both….

I may repeat some of what has been said as I just couldn’t read all 49 previous posts (I’ve been away).

1. I like the song and have found it catchy and fun, if not really serious. Didn’t have a real problem with its inclusion on In Time as bands usually add one new song to be a radio single and draw in hardcore fans. However “Animal” should have been left off and “All The Right Friends” move to the B-side and rarity disc.

2. I hate to sound like I think the band (or possibly the record company) was trying to cash in, but does anybody else think that Bad Day was resurrected because a similar model worked so well with U2 and “Sweetest Thing”? U2 took “Sweetest Thing” an old B-side, improved the production and slightly updated the sound, and it was a big hit at a time (following Zooropa and Pop) when they desperately needed one to continue to be seen as relevant and radio friendly, at least in the USA – and it worked, the song was a smash and it helped U2 bridge the gap from their more experimental 90’s albums to their more classical sounding albums All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb – both of which were big hits. I’ve always thought using Bad Day was REM’s ploy to have a “Sweetest Thing”. Maybe just me.

3. Bad Day to me would not fit on LRP, but would fit nicely on Document, which is darker (maybe right before “Strange”?)

Shiny Happy People was left off of the compilation on purpose by the band. They said in an interview that In Time was intended to be the greatest R.E.M. album ever, and that Shiny Happy People just didn’t fit with the rest of the songs on there (going to have to agree with them on that one).

The song rocks like hell, but on top of that, to me it was always a biting protest against the War in Iraq and all the tricks of The Bush Gang. The US and their “coalition of the willing” have tried hard to avoid a repeat of the media’s documentation of the atrocities in Vietnam and the movement of protest that it sparked, by “embedding” the reporters and photographers with the soldiers to create a feeling of loyalty, so that they would hold back on documenting and feeding back the really ugly facts to the hapless US public, who could be swayed if seeing all the horrors dead US soldiers and civilians. Hence, to me, the request “Please, don’t take a picture here” is the invitation from some army brass to a press photographer not to do his job, and to help avoid the looming PR disaster for the Bush gang..: “We are sick of being jerked around” Stipe therefore sneers. There is anger in the delivery, but at the time, there is pain and almost begging in the words “Please, don’t take…” which makes the song all the more moving. Despite all the bullshit and the lies, real guys are dying down there. Strong stuff.

Matthew… I think “Pop Song 89″, “Country Feedback” and “Bang And Blame” are pushing it a bit for the compilation. “Shiny Happy People” and “Drive” I could live with, by I’d also keep “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” – yeah, that’s five from Automatic For The People, which would be why I’d tell “Nightswimming” to sling its hook and hang as it grows. I like the song a lot of course, but I see it as more of an Automatic-only treat.

You also mention saving “Animal” for Around The Sun. Yes, Around The Sun needed a rocker, but “Animal” is not the song for the job. I would always see it as the ‘ugly duckling’ of the record, regardless of whether I like the song or not (similar to how I see “Low” on Out Of Time). “Animal” probably should have been neutralised in the recording process and included as the last track for In Time, and the supporting single, if that’s what the band wanted to do.